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SmackDown honestly wasn't a particularly exciting show, but the two hours flew by so fast, that I have no cause for complaint at all, to be honest. There was a lot that I liked about the show, and honestly, quite a lot that I absolutely hated, and that's putting it mildly.
As always, this is your post-show recap where I will be bringing you the 'Best and Worst' of the show you just watched, but this is one person's opinion only. If you think or believe otherwise, you are welcome to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the show you just watched.
Which brand do you think got the better of the other, this week? Be sure to let me know your thoughts and views and opinions, ladies and gentlemen.
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Without further ado, let me dive straight into the action.
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#1 Best: Paul Heyman's promo
I'll be honest. I did not care about MMA at all before I got the job at Sportskeeda and my colleagues asked me to check UFC out. I'm sure there are a million sports entertainment fans just like me who are not necessarily interested in the UFC and have no idea about who Cain Velasquez is.
So, in a sense, Paul Heyman did a great job in introducing the man to the WWE Universe and also illustrating and elaborating upon why even a 'Beast' like Brock Lesnar is scared of Cain Velasquez. The two men will be facing one another in Saudi Arabia, and I think that this is a really big deal and a great step by WWE.
Especially so, because WWE sometimes waits too long to book all of these dream matches. They're diving right into it with Velasquez, and I'm guessing this will elevate his status to no end for the WWE Universe.
#1 Worst: Network executives celebrating
I thought that FOX was going for a more realistic feel to their product, but the 'backstage celebration' skits that we saw this week pretty much killed that. I wonder why they were even celebrating when they had picked these people and it wasn't random luck of the draw.
I know that wrestling is supposed to be corny and cheesy but these actors/executives celebrating every pick just ruined the whole draft. It was such a cringe-worthy moment to see them going hurrah after every single selection was made.
Would it have been better if there were two General Managers instead of Network Executives? Based on how cheesy these segments were, I would have to say so.
Especially if Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were the faces of both brands (although it would have ruined Heyman's advocate shtick).
Imagine repeating the same song and dance during RAW as well!
#2 Best: Bayley has a new persona
Bayley has been a heel for a really long time now, but she has finally embraced the dark side completely. Not only did she deflate the Bayley Buddies with a stick this week, but she also cut a promo and used certain words that cannot be repeated on this portal. This is the coolest that Bayley has seemed in a very long time.
Long gone are the days when everyone assumed that she would be the next John Cena, everyone's favorite cute and huggable superstar. No, she has a new look and a mean edge and attitude at the moment. Bayley is en route to becoming the top heel of the women's division, surpassing even the likes of Charlotte Flair in the whole process.
And putting the title on her was a great touch as well. She certainly needs it way more than Charlotte Flair does.
#2 Worst: Same match, different night
I love the character of King Corbin and just how far he's come as a performer over time. I also love how relevant Chad Gable seems in the roster after the King of the Ring tournament. By this, I mean he wasn't getting any TV time at all, only a few months ago.
I want him to continue getting TV time and continue to get embroiled in feuds in the weeks that follow. But if you consider the fact that we've seen Corbin vs. Gable a million times, you can probably understand my frustration with regard to the whole deal. It's not Flair vs. Steamboat that I'd want to see the match play out multiple times.
I would have had the same complaint about Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair, but the result changed things around. Changing Gable's name to Shorty G did not really change things up for the fans and make this a fresh match, truth be told.
#3 Best: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Nobody can even remotely compete with WWE when it comes to the production front, truth be told. The ominous sight of The Fiend emerging from the depths of hell to apply a mandible claw on Seth Rollins will remain etched in my mind and give me a few nightmares.
The smoke that accompanied this visual conjured images of hellfire and brimstone, and I do believe that there was an almost cinematic quality to The Fiend's arrival. I know that Bray Wyatt will be the one sports entertainment component, on what will be an otherwise sports-oriented brand.
Even the Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns match was good for the time that it lasted. The spear being converted into the Pedigree, in particular, was just such an awesome sight.
We don't give Seth Rollins the credit he deserves for being such a great and technically-sound WWE A-grade Superstar!
#3 Best/Worst: The draft picks
I really didn't think that there were too many surprises per se, during the draft, except for maybe Braun Strowman getting drafted to the blue brand. Everything else was par for the course, and it was just your regular, usual draft, where there were no real surprises. That said, I'm glad this has happened and that the Wild Card Rule is gone.
Becky Lynch was obviously the best first choice and Roman Reigns was a great second choice from the pool. The SmackDown pool was a lot less exciting than the RAW pool is going to be, considering that the World Champions will find out where they belong on Monday Night.
So, an eventful Friday night concludes, although I wouldn't say that it was necessarily an exciting show overall. But there's a silver lining at the end of this cloud.
A video of The Goddess to end this article.
